Chapter 12

ELI. When Ariella and I no longer talked, it felt like I lost half of myself. I knew I was attracted to her ever since we were young, and as time went by it became clearer and clearer to me that she was the girl for me. But things happened between our families that led to us getting separated. Well, to be honest, we could have remained close despite the animosity between our packs, but my Uncle appointed me as the next in line after him causing me to rethink my decisions. I still remember the conversation I had with Uncle Ross the night before Ariella and I went to that human party. I confessed to my parents that I liked Ariella, but my Uncle overheard us and he got mad. "Of all people, you like Jonathan's daughter? Stop that nonsense, Eli. You're going to be an Alpha someday. You have to choose someone worthy of our family. And the Hills are certainly not worth it." "But what if she's my mate?" I asked Uncle Ross. "So what? Mating bonds can be cut," he replied nonchalantly. "Once I win the elections, I'll be able to win over the whole pack too and they will want me to become the Alpha. Jonathan's reign will be over, so you have to prepare yourself, Eli. Forget that girl. I don't want a single drop of Jonathan's blood mixed into our family." "But, Uncle—" "No buts, Eli. You should be glad that you're the one going to inherit my legacy." "But what if I don't want to become an Alpha?" I asked him angrily, and that was enough for Uncle Ross to hit me. Both of my parents were in the same room too, but they just flinched when Uncle Jonathan hit me in the face. "You have no choice, Eli. Tanner and I have already decided on your future. Stay away from Jonathan's daughter, or I might do something to her that you will surely regret." "What do you mean by that? You're going to hurt her too?" I asked loudly, and Uncle Ross just laughed. I know my parents couldn't really do anything against Uncle Ross, but sometimes I wish that they would stand up to him, even just once. But Father owes his older brother a lot, and being childless, Uncle Ross had set his eyes on me like I was his own, and I didn't like it one bit. "I might, Eli. And you know me, so you better behave." His warning gave me chills because I knew how he was. He might actually hurt Ariella. When Uncle Ross left, Mother came to check on my face. I winced when she put the ointment on my swollen cheek. "Why do you just let him do this to me?" The question came out of my mouth just like that, and my mother was surprised she dropped the cotton buds she was holding. "I'm sorry, Eli. You know that we owe your uncle a lot, after what happened to your father. If we make Ross mad he might throw us out and we can't afford that right now. We are still paying the debt we had when your father got hospitalized." I was quiet for a whole minute and just let my mother clean my swollen cheek. What she was saying was true though. Father got into an accident that broke his left leg and right arm, making him bedridden for almost a whole year. Uncle Ross took us in and shouldered all the expenses, but he told us that we had to repay him somehow. And when Father recovered, we became dependent on Uncle Ross because of our debts that we could not pay on time. "You have to let it slide, my son," said Mother. "Be patient and everything will turn out fine someday. Let your Uncle do what he wants for now. And when you become the Alpha, you can also do what you want." "You also want me to become an Alpha?" Mother nodded. "Being the Alpha will give you the power, Eli. Once you become the most powerful werewolf in our pack, you can do anything you want." I considered it for a moment. "But that will take time, Mother." "The best things don't just appear out of thin air," she added. "Just like Ariella. If you really like her, you have to avoid seeing her for a while if you don't want her to get hurt. You know how dangerous your uncle can become sometimes. And since she's Jonathan's daughter, your Uncle will surely do something to her if you're not careful, Eli." "I don't know if I can avoid her. We're friends." "Then just stay friends with her for a while. You have your whole future ahead of you, young man. Anything can still happen, but don't let your Uncle hurt her." I nodded, and I took everything she said that time to heart. But I found out that same night that Kayden also likes Ariella, so I have to confess to her before him or they might end up together. I didn't want that. I planned on doing that by inviting her to a human party that we had been dreaming of attending. I planned to confess to her while we were there, far away from our families. I just don't want her to end up with another guy. And I did manage to confess to her despite my fear of getting rejected. But then the election scandal happened. I was torn because I didn't want us to get separated. But because of Ariella's father, the pack had split into two. When we were about to leave, Ariella called out for me because she was confused as to what would happen to us after the unfortunate event. I wanted to tell her to wait for me, that I would come back for her, but my Uncle was listening to our conversation and I had to make it look like nothing was going on between us. I didn't want her to become my Uncle's new target. But also because of that, my relationship with Ariella came to an end. It hadn't even started yet, but we were no more than strangers again. I regretted it a lot and wished that I could turn back time. But time passed and I realized that Ariella already hated me because of the hurtful things that I said to her, so there was nothing I could do. I forced myself to move on, and I did. I met Michelle and we started dating and I knew I loved her, but every time Ariella and I would cross paths I couldn't help but feel this instant pull that she had over me. My eyes would always go where she was, and I felt upset when I would see her with her boyfriend. But as fate would have it, it turned out that we were actually mates. I was both happy and angry about it. Happy because I can now confirm that the reason I am attracted to Ariella is because she is my mate, but I'm also mad that this happened at a time where she's already in love with someone else and she hates me to the core. Even just the way she would look at me told me how she felt about me. I couldn't see any sign that she would accept me. And because of that, I rejected her at the Council. But then she ran away, so I got worried and searched for her without realizing what I was doing. Even if she hated me, I still looked for her. I told myself that I wouldn't rest until I found her. And when I did finally find her, I realized by looking into her eyes how much I actually loved her. All my life I had been suppressing this love for her, but we were in a place far away from everybody else. I vowed to myself that I wouldn't go back home without fixing our relationship. But then I noticed something in this town where I found Ariella. I could sense something sinister lurking in the corner.